The present invention relates to an oxygen generator, and more particularly, to an oxygen generator and a method of constructing an oxygen generator capable of producing a yield of a high concentration of oxygen.
There are, of course, many differing methods and apparatus used for the production of a high concentration stream of oxygen, among those presently available include various cryogenic cycles, non-cryogenic air separation plants, including the use of molecular sieves, as well as a number of other methods of producing or extracting oxygen.
One of such methods is through the use of an electrochemical process where an oxygen containing gas, such as air, is caused to pass through a ceramic membrane with an electrical potential applied across the membrane. The oxygen molecules are initially reduced to oxygen ions at the interface between the cathode and the ceramic material and the oxygen ions can selectively pass through the ceramic electrolyte.
After passing through the electrolyte, a further reaction takes place at the interface between the electrolyte and the anode where the oxygen ions are oxidized to reform to oxygen molecules. By the use of a particular ceramic membrane, only the oxygen ions are allowed to pass through the cell and thus the overall process is very selective to the production of a high concentration of oxygen containing gas.
Thus, by a series of reactions, the electrochemical oxygen generator can produce a stream of gas having an enhanced concentration of oxygen. Although the overall process is well known, present oxygen generators have heretofore failed to realize a high concentration of oxygen from the input gas, i.e. currently in the range of about up to 95% concentration. Thus, it would be advantageous to be able to achieve a high concentration of the oxygen in the output from the oxygen concentrator by a refinement of the electrodes, particularly in the materials and the means of applying the material or materials in constructing the electrodes and in applying a uniform application of the electrical potential to the electrodes.